A perfect storm?

In our video interview with Roddy Watt, the CEO of the Hotel Management Company, while acknowledging the UK independent hotel market is generally pretty strong at the moment, says that hoteliers are being buffeted by a “perfect storm” made up of the OTAs; escalating labour, materials, insurance and business rate costs; and advancing technology.

Watt says these factors are disadvantaging smaller operators who are trying to compete with bigger branded properties, particularly the burgeoning budget sector which is “eating away” at the independents, leaving them “somewhat rudderless”.

Does this echo your experience as an independent hotelier? If so we want to hear from you about what you have been doing to respond to these challenges. Please email me at george@boutiquehotelnews.com if you have a story to tell.